1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a plugging member and a container, and more particularly to a plugging member which plugs a draining port for draining a material which is contained in a container, and the container. For example, the plugging member is used to plug a draining port of a photographic processing chemicals container which contains therein photographic processing chemicals.
2. Description of the Related Art
As an example of a conventional plugging member, a plugging sheet 300 as a plugging element which plugs a bottle is shown in FIG. 19 (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 8-53147).
In this plugging sheet 300, three fan portions 306 are formed from three radial portions 302 which comprise thin portions and three circumferential portions 304 which comprise thin portions. Each of the fan portions 306 is attached to a plugging element 310 by attaching portions 308.
When this plugging sheet 300 is pressed and perforated by a protruding portion of a perforating means which is not shown, since splits are formed from the center of the plugging sheet 300 along the radial portions 302 and then, the splits extend along the circumferential portions 304, respectively, the plugging sheet 300 is opened over the entire cross section of the opening of the bottle.
However, in this plugging sheet 300, since the thin portions are curved at a small radius of curvature from the radial portions 302 to the circumferential portions 304, there may be cases in which the force which has acted upon the radial portions 302 does not extend to the circumferential portions 304. For this reason, when the amount of pressing force excited by the perforating means is small, the splits do not extend from the tip ends of the radial portions 302 to the circumferential portions 304, and the fan portions 306 are bent at positions indicated by a dashed line C6 in FIG. 19. Accordingly, it is impossible to open the plugging sheet 300 over the entire cross section of the opening of the bottle. As a result, the surface area of the opening is made narrower.
This plugging sheet 300 is formed from a high polymer material or a mixture of high polymer materials. Three fan portions 306 are formed by three radial portions 302 which have a thickness of between 0.1 and 0.3 mm and by three circumferential portions 304 which have a thickness of between 0.1 and 0.3 mm, similarly to the thickness of the three radial portions 302. The fan portions 306 are each attached to a plugging element 310 by the attaching portions 308.
When this plugging sheet 300 is pressed and perforated by the protruding portion of a perforating means which is not shown, since splits extend from the center of the plugging sheet 300 along the radial portions 302, and then extend along the circumferential portions 304, the plugging sheet 300 is opened over the entire cross section of the opening of the bottle.
However, in this plugging sheet 300, if the thicknesses of the plugging sheet 300 in the areas adjacent to the radial portions 302 and the circumferential portions 304, each of which has a thickness of between 0.1 mm and 0.3 mm, is close to the thicknesses of the radial portions 302 and the circumferential portions 304 (if, for example, the thickness of the radial portions 302 and the circumferential portions 304 of 0.3 mm and the thickness of the fan portions 306 is 0.4 mm), a portion of the tensional force which is supposed to act upon the radial portion 302 or the circumferential portions 304 due to the pressing force from the perforating means is dispersed and acts upon the fan portions 306. Accordingly, the fan portions 306 are thereby stretched out together with the radial portions 302 or the circumferential portions 304. As a result, in order to perforate the plugging sheet 300, a large amount of pressing force is needed.